HoCoJAG reviewed hate-bias incident data published by the Howard County Police Department (HCPD), compiled from HCPD records pulled January 14, 2025 (covering 2024) and January 23, 2026 (covering 2025).
Howard County Has a Hate Problem
Howard County likes to think of itself as welcoming. The police data tells a harder truth: reported hate-bias incidents are not rare here — and the Jewish community is hit disproportionately.
When you account for population size, Jews show the highest per-capita rate of reported hate-bias incidents among the groups tracked in this dataset. That is not a talking point. It’s a warning sign.
This is a community safety issue that HoCoJAG continues to address with the schools, the County Council, and State Legislators.
What you can do
If you experience or witness a hate-bias incident, report it to HCPD. If you want Howard County to respond seriously, join HoCoJAG—because communities don’t get safer by hoping.
Source: Howard County Police Department hate-bias incident records compiled by HoCoJAG (2024–2025).
FAQ
What is this data?
This page summarizes reported hate-bias incidents recorded by the Howard County Police Department (HCPD) and compiled by HoCoJAG into a spreadsheet for easier analysis.
What is a “hate-bias incident”?
A hate-bias incident is an incident reported to police that includes indicators the incident may have been motivated by bias (for example, slurs, symbols, targeting tied to identity, or other bias indicators documented in a report). It is not the same thing as a criminal conviction, and it may include a range of behaviors from harassment and threats to property damage or assault.
Does this prove intent or motive in every case?
No. Police datasets like this reflect reported incidents with documented bias indicators. They can show patterns of targeting across a community, but they don’t establish motive beyond doubt in each individual incident.
Does this include everything that happens?
No. Like all bias reporting, this is limited to what is reported and recorded. Many incidents are never reported, and communities can differ in reporting behavior. That’s a limitation of every police-based dataset—not a reason to ignore the pattern.
Why do you use “per capita” rates?
Because raw counts can mislead. Communities vary in size. Per-capita rates help show disproportionate impact—whether a group is being targeted at a higher rate relative to its population.